Sometimes Pan-Africanism Can Cause Racism

President Museveni Critices The Hair Worn by Miss World-Africa

In his heartfelt glorification of pan Africanism, President Museveni inadvertently peddled racism.

The Merger of Pan-Africanism With Racism

Is it possible to support an idea without being against its opposite? Arguably, no. Does preference for one thing engender loathe for its opposite? Arguably, Yes.

This is the same dilemma in which Uganda’s president found himself when he hosted the newly crowned Ugandan born, Miss World-Africa, Ms. Quiin Abenakyo.

In his heartfelt glorification of pan Africanism, President Museveni inadvertently peddled racism. He made a somewhat racist tweet after his interaction with Africa’s new queen.

In his veneration of Africa, he debased Indians. This is a real time representation of the fact that it is arguably impossible to champion ones values without looking down on other people’s values.

In a tweet from his twitter handle, he suggested that African beauty must be shown in what he called “its natural form”. (see picture below for the tweet)

His inclination towards pan African interests with regard to beauty led him to display his contempt towards Indian hair. I imagine this was unavoidable given that preference for one thing engenders loathe for its opposite.

The irony, however, is that he not only made this remark via an American owned social media platform but also while sheltered in an architecturally Europeanized, state of the art state house probably furnished with Chinese furniture and probably scented with Indian air fresheners.

If Quiin had the audacity to rebut, she would have asked him why he didn’t express his dissatisfaction in an “African natural way” using “African natural resources”. Ha-ha.

Anyhow, the point is we need, and have to be careful when advocating for our interests because we are more often than not going to contradict ourselves at best or look down on others at worst.